Archive for the ‘Columns & Essays’ Category

[Wakefield Daily Item, March 25, 2014] Between 150 and 200 local residents packed The Savings Bank Theater at Wakefield High School on Monday, March 24 for a forum on a proposal to build a downtown parking garage in conjunction with an assisted living facility. The evening was evenly divided between presentations by town officials and […]


Starting July 1 Starting July 1, you won’t be able to buy cigarettes or any other tobacco products in Wakefield, Massachusetts if you are less than 21 years old. The Board of Health voted to amend local regulations this week by raising the age for purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21. The board’s unanimous vote […]


It depends on who you ask Downtown Wakefield is changing, in case you haven’t noticed or have been hibernating under a rock somewhere for the last few months, in which case you could hardly be blamed given the winter that thankfully officially ended at 12:57 p.m. on March 20. In any case, the downtown area […]


Directed by former Wakefield resident Nancy Curran Willis St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and as much as we’d like to, most of us can’t just drop everything and go off to celebrate in Ireland. Fortunately, the Arlington Friends of the Drama are offering a very attractive alternative that will whisk you off to Ireland […]


Whenever the government says it is taking steps to make life easier for me, my BS detector goes off. The latest example is the Massachusetts Legislature’s effort to “reform” elections and voting. The House and Senate bills are currently in conference committee where they are negotiating a version that both branches can agree upon. The […]


“I’ve been very lucky to do 10 of Mr. Sondheim’s works,” says Leigh Barrett, a 1983 Wakefield High School graduate who has gone on to an award-winning professional career as one of the top leading ladies of Boston’s musical theater scene. Barrett has won two Elliot Norton Awards for Outstanding Actress (in 2004 and 2007), […]


Early in 2014, Massachusetts issued its first 20 “Medical Marijuana Licenses.” By summer, as you’re out driving with your kids, you’ll be seeing signs for such establishments as Garden Remedies of Newton, Greeneway Wellness Foundation in Cambridge, Green Heart Holistic Health & Pharmaceuticals of Boston and Good Chemistry of Worcester. Because they’re just getting established […]


In formally announcing his candidacy yesterday for the 6th Congressional District seat currently held by Rep. John F. Tierney, Wakefield, MA resident Richard Tisei promised the crowd that packed the Heritage Room at the Americal Center two things. “I will work hard for the people of this district,” Tisei vowed, “and I won’t disappoint you.” […]


As we enter the New Year, the time has come to make some bold predictions for 2014. So let’s dust off the old crystal ball, shall we? Come to think of it, the whole house could use a good dusting. I’ll begin by predicting that that will not happen in 2014. People ask how I […]


My first and only encounter with the Wakefield Police Department‘s K9 Officer Leo was a memorable one. It was five years ago – almost to the day. On Dec. 18, 2008 I was covering a Board of Selectmen’s meeting at which K9 Leo and his partner, Officer Brett Rossicone, were being recognized for the heroic […]